1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to filtering devices. More particularly, the present invention pertains to devices and methods for filtering embolic debris from a blood vessel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Occluded, stenotic, or narrowed blood vessels may be treated with a number of relatively non-invasive medical procedures. For example, occlusions of blood vessels near the heart may be treated by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), atherectomy, etc. Similarly, a number of occlusions may occur in other blood vessels located a distance away from the heart. For example, an occlusion may occur within the renal artery between the abdominal aorta and the kidney. Because this vascular region is relatively short in length, an appropriate intervention may necessitate design modifications of current intravascular devices.
When treating occluded or stenotic blood vessels, embolic debris can be separated from the wall of the blood vessel. This debris could block other vascular regions including the renal, neural, and pulmonary vasculature or cause damage to tissue and/or body organs. In order to filter this debris, a number of devices, termed distal protection devices, have been developed.